


Slice of Life

by SloanGreyMercyDeath



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/F, diner au, just a cute fluffy thing, small town AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29392692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SloanGreyMercyDeath/pseuds/SloanGreyMercyDeath
Summary: Emily owns a diner in a Pennsylvania town with no name.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 7
Kudos: 93





	Slice of Life

There’s a town in rural Pennsylvania so small that its name doesn’t matter. It has a diner, a grocery store, a post office, a mechanic, and a library (that also serves as a daycare). Its residents reside just outside it, and all of them work in the next town over, or the one next to it, or the one next to that. Their homes could use some repair, but everything works until it doesn’t and, when something breaks, they fix it.

The only people who work in town are Spencer Reid, the librarian, Tara Lewis, the mechanic, Penelope Garcia, the postmaster, Aaron Hotchner, the grocer, Derek Morgan, the diner’s fry cook, and Emily Prentiss, the diner’s owner/waitress. They aren’t the town’s only residents, but they’re the heart and soul (and stomach and brain) of the small, unnamed Pennsylvania town. They keep the town running, and, most days, they even enjoy it.

Every morning, Emily Prentiss is the first to wake. She rolls out of bed at 3am, slides into comfortable shorts and a tank top that leaves her shoulders and stomach bare. It doesn’t matter that she’s showing more skin than she ever would during the daylight - no one is around to see her.

Emily lives above the diner, in a small studio with only a bed, a bathroom, and a kitchen. She keeps her books in the downstairs office, not that she has much time to read nowadays. Since she had to fire Ashley because of cutbacks, Emily’s been doing everything herself. Trust that the only reason she wakes up at 3am to bake bread is because she absolutely has to.

Her morning routine looks like this:

3:00am - Get out of bed

3:10am - Start making bread, pie, pastry

3:45am(ish) - Derek arrives and takes over

4:00am - Check the napkin holders, salt shakers, sugar packets, and ketchup bottles

4:30am - Set out food on counter (pie, pastries, pre-made sandwiches)

5:00am - Diner opens.

It is the same every morning and, after over a decade of the same routine, Emily can do it in her sleep. Once the diner opens, she disappears upstairs again to get dressed, changing her shorts for jeans and her tank top for a t-shirt. She slips on the flip flops that stay at the top of her steps and then heads down to greet her usual early morning patrons.

Everyone who works in town starts their day at her diner. Spencer sits at the diner and flirts with Derek through the window into the kitchen. Penelope sits beside him, flirting just as hard. Hotch and David Rossi (town mayor and principal of the district high school) sit in the corner booth, only drinking black coffee and talking. Tara Lewis sits in a booth alone, reading the newspaper.

They all look up and smile at Emily as she enters and takes down a worn apron that hangs on the wall. Putting it on, she waves to the group sleepily. A chuckle sweeps through the room as she ties her hair up into a ponytail and walks behind the counter to Spencer and Penelope.

“What’s on the menu today, you sleepy seductress?” Penelope greets her with a grin that’s too bright for the early morning hour. “Please tell me you have a strawberry rhubarb pie today!”

Derek answers from the kitchen. “We do!”

“Well,” Emily mumbles, moving to the glass covered pie plate on the counter, “good to know.”

“I’ll have a slice of that, too,” Spencer says with a grin. “How did you sleep, Emily? You know it’s important to get a good night’s sleep. Especially when you wake up so early.”

Emily rolls her eyes, but a smile creeps over her face. “I slept just fine, Spencer. Thanks for asking.” She looks over the whole room. “Anyone else want a slice of pie for breakfast?”

Hotch and Rossi shake their heads no, but Tara nods and Emily puts three pieces on small plates. Two go to the librarian and the postmaster and Emily takes the third out to the mechanic. She brings along a carafe of fresh coffee and refills Tara’s cup while she’s there. With a wink, Emily heads back to counter.

Time passes, with the town residents coming in for breakfast and leaving with sandwiches and soups for lunch. They’ll all be back for dinner, but they need something to take with them when they go to work in the next town over, or the one next to it, or the one next to that. Soon, it’s just past 7:00am and the bell above the door chimes, getting Emily’s attention.

She’s leaning against the counter with her back to the door, eating a breakfast of strawberry rhubarb pie and talking to Derek. He’s bragging about hitting a new record number of sit-ups, and she’s teasing him, and they’re laughing together. When the bell above the door chimes, Emily stiffens and hands off her plate to him. She wipes her face and turns around with a big smile.

Henry enters the diner first, running to the counter and hoping up onto a stool. Following slowly behind him is JJ, a grin on her face. She looks as impeccable as always, dressed professionally for her job as an elementary school teacher. She brings a breath of fresh air into the diner with her and Henry brings the sun.

“Morning, Emily,” JJ says cheerfully, sliding onto the stool beside Henry. “Did you sleep well?”

Emily frowns, putting her hands on her hips. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

Raising an eyebrow, JJ just winks at her, knowing full well that she’s the reason Emily may look tired this morning. “I don’t know. You look good to me.”

“Me too!” Henry adds. He crosses his arms on the counter and beams at her with all the happiness of a nine-year-old who knows he’s getting a treat. “Can I have a slice of pie, Emily? What’s today’s flavor?”

Emily taps on her chin, glancing over at the empty plate. “Looks like we’re all out, kid…”

“No!” He pouts at her, blinking the wide eyes that she’s still incapable of denying, even after four years of dating his mother  _ and  _ knowing him from birth. “That’s too bad!”

“There’s nothing in the back?” JJ asks, blinking the same blue eyes. “I could help you look?”

Ignoring Derek’s amused snort from behind her, Emily nods and gestures for JJ to walk around the counter. She smiles at Henry. “Can you stay put for a moment? There might be a slice of pie in it for you.”

“Ok!” He turns to look at Derek. “Any new records, boss?”

Emily takes JJ’s hand and leaves them to talk. She takes JJ into the back, down the small hallway, and into her office. They close the door, giggling like schoolgirls as Emily traps JJ against the desk and kisses her softly.

“I wonder where that pie could be,” Emily teases, hands sneaking under JJ’s blouse. “Is it in here?”

“Oh my god,” JJ laughs as she pushes Emily’s hands away. “You’re so bad!”

“Actually,” she corrects, nuzzling into JJ’s neck, “I’m very  _ good _ .”

They kiss for a moment, knowing that mornings go by so quickly and that they have to get back to their boys at the counter. After a couple stolen minutes, they pull apart. JJ hugs Emily close, breathing in the smell of bread and sweet pie and grease that she loves so much.

“When are you going to move in with me, Prentiss?” JJ asks quietly. “I don’t live that far you know. It’s been years now. Henry would love it. I’d love it.”

Emily pulls her close. “What if I said now?” JJ jerks back, searching Emily’s eyes for sincerity. “I could finally let Derek use the apartment for storage.”

“Really?” JJ tries not to sound too hopeful. “You’d really, finally move in with me?”

“Well, I’m sure all of you ex-husband’s cooties are gone,” Emily jokes, eyelashes fluttering. “If you can put up with me coming home smelling like this place, and waking you up for a goodbye kiss at 3am, then… I can do my best to cohabitate.”

JJ throws herself forward again, kissing her deeply. “I love you,” she says when she pulls away to breathe. “God, Emily, it’s a dream come true. I’ve wanted to be with you since we were kids.”

“You’re with me,” Emily assures her. She kisses her quickly before pulling away and heading for the door. “We hit a couple of snags along the way, but it got us to each other and it got us Henry.”

“He’s going to be so happy. Why don’t we tell him when you come over for dinner?”

Nodding, Emily leads JJ back out to the diner, stopping in the kitchen to pull out two brown bags and the piece of strawberry rhubarb pie she tucked away earlier, just for Henry. When they reemerge, Henry is laughing, Derek making faces through the window. He straightens up when he sees his mothers.

“Look what I found!” Emily says triumphantly, holding up the foil-covered slice of pie. “The last slice!”

“Emily!” Henry cheers, arms flying up into the air. “You’re amazing!”

Derek chuckles. “Don’t say that. It’ll go to her head.”

“Too late,” JJ chimes in, holding a hand out for the brown bags. “You can eat it in the car, Henry. We have to hit the road.”

“Ok!” He takes the pie from Emily and kisses her cheek when she leans close. “Bye, Emily! See you tonight!”

“Bye, Henry. Love you!”

“Love you, too!” 

He races out the door and Emily hands over the lunches she packed for the two loves of her life, just like she’s been doing for over a decade. JJ takes them, kissing Emily’s cheek too before heading out. She flashes a grin over her shoulder before leaving, the bell above the door chiming a goodbye.

“So,” Derek says, leaning on the window ledge and grinning, “when are you gonna wife that up?”

Emily’s head snaps around to glare at him. “Don’t you have some burgers to fry?”

Holding his hands up, he backs into the kitchen, laughing at her. “Alright, boss. I was just teasing!”

“Well…” Emily chews on the corner of her lip. Her grin escapes her teeth and she shrugs at him. “We’re going to move in together.”

“Hot damn!” Derek whoops, clapping his hands in celebration. “Good job, Prentiss! We’re going to get a wedding out of you yet!”


End file.
